Forget splashing the cash and extravagant gifts this Christmas – according to our study what we really want from friends and family is something personal and thoughtful.

Whether it’s a jar of jam or chutney, a book or something crafty, research revealed 9 out of 10 of us say the most important part of a gift is the time and effort that goes into it, as opposed to the cost.

Corrine Sweet, Author and Psychologist, said: “Nothing stays in the memory and mind more than important experiences and beautiful images – especially when they celebrate our hobbies. Something personalised means ‘I know you and want to make you smile’ and a custom-made map reflects good times in your life.”

With that in mind, we think our OS Custom Made map is the perfect stocking filler for both outdoor enthusiasts and anyone who wants to capture a memory of that special location. Read More

GeoTech masterclasses are a popular series of events organised by the team at our Geovation Hub in Clerkenwell Green, London. These workshops are not to be missed and book up quickly and it was on a chilly November evening that the Hub played host to the GeoDataViz (GDV) team.

Kicking off the session was Charley Glynn who gave an overview of the team and the important role we play within OS. Our role involves making sense of complex data through compelling visuals and we do that through a number of different techniques and using a range of software.

To emphasise this Charley took us on a journey through some of our recent work including our visuals for the CityVerve project and OS Custom Made. You can find out more about our team and the type of work we do here.

Next up was Paul Naylor who introduced the new GeoDataViz toolkit, a set of assets and resources that can help with communicating data effectively through the design of compelling and informative visuals.

What is in the toolkit?

For many years OS mapping has helped to define your land in law. What constitutes your land in law goes beyond your property and land ownership. It is more than just the actual earth beneath our feet within what we know to be the physical boundaries and buildings. Nowadays the registration of title to land is particularly important as it is often the most valuable asset of any individual or business.

In Scotland, the transfer of land from one owner to another has been recorded for centuries. Read this guest blog from Registers of Scotland who have been transforming this process.

Before we dive right in and tell you about the exciting digital transformation projects happening at Registers of Scotland (RoS) we should probably start with what we do here at RoS…We are the non-ministerial government department that looks after registers relating to land, property and other legal matters.

The maintenance of our property registers underpins the Scottish property market and economy. For hundreds of years we have been a largely paper-based organisation – until now! In fact we are in the midst of a radical business transformation; with the aim of offering fully digital registration and information services by 2020, which will not only improve efficiency and our carbon footprint but enable us to offer even higher levels of security and transparency concerning Scottish land and property transactions. A lynchpin in this digital transformation programme is ScotLIS, the brand new map-based land information service we launched in October. Read More

Wondering what to get the map-lover in your life this Christmas? Thinking that they have more than enough maps packing their shelves? How about books about maps, loving maps, walking the countryside and more?

We’ve come up with five books that all mention Ordnance Survey and are, to some degree, about OS, maps and/or exploring beautiful Britain. Plus, there’s the chance to win a copy of one of these books below…

To research Map Addict, Mike visited the most boring OS grid square in the land, followed OS founder William Roy’s eighteenth century base line across west London, explored England’s feudal nugget, Rutland, and spent the summer solstice in Milton Keynes, in order to test the theory that it is built to a pagan alignment. What more could you need to know?

Described as ‘not quite a book about walking’, Tom Cox’s excellent new book nevertheless shines with a love of the British countryside, alongside folklore and the odd badger. Research for the book often saw Tom out walking with OS map in hand, whether in Devon, Norfolk, the Peak District or beyond. There’s also a handy reminder about not using out-of-date maps in case of ‘erosion-themed death’. We won’t spoil the book by telling you any more… Read More

It was great to see ‘geospatial’ highlighted in the Autumn Budget on Wednesday.

Geospatial data already supports a wide range of economic activity and there is a significant opportunity to generate growth through more effective, co-ordinated use of the vast range of geospatial data captured and managed on behalf of government. In light of this, we look forward to working with the Geospatial Commission to investigate ways to capture the full potential of that growth as it co-ordinates the geospatial agenda for the country. Read More

The Year of Engineering launched at Allenby Primary School in Southall, Ealing last week and our surveyor and air camera operator Roger Nock was on hand to inspire the children. The Minister of State at the Department for Transport, John Hayes CBE MP was at the Primary Futures event along with volunteers from the world of engineering, aiming to showcase the vast range of exciting roles within the sector.

Innovate UK’s mission is to help the UK economy grow by inspiring and supporting pioneering UK businesses to create the industries of the future. We do this through funding risky innovation projects and through connecting innovators to opportunities and resources, and my role within the organisation is very much about helping businesses develop new solutions to the complex challenges facing cities.

Like Ordnance Survey and Geovation, we recognise that good ideas and data to help cities overcome their challenges do not exist solely in one organisation, but in many different places. This is why we are very pleased to be collaborating with Geovation to seek ideas that can help give us smarter, greener communities. Read More

We’ve been working with Glasgow City Council (GCC) since 2013, supporting their journey to become a world-leading smart city following funding through Innovate UK. Throughout, we’ve been demonstrating the power of location data in the technologies and decision-making needed to create a smart city. Our data, provided through the One Scotland Mapping Agreement (OSMA) has played an integral role in delivering services to both citizens and business, including during the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

To build a truly smart city, Glasgow needed to maximise the value of data and make it widely available. GCC identified over 1,000 datasets which it wanted to release to support innovators, SMEs and partners delivering smart solutions. Working together with GCC to make this happen not only supported Glasgow’s smart city ambitions, but also shaped how OS data has become more usable, more open and more accessible. The early work with GCC has also enabled greater data sharing to support smart city development across Great Britain. Read More

About Us

OS is Britain's mapping agency. We make the most up-to-date and accurate maps of the country. But we're also a digital business, and we use our content to help governments, companies and individuals to be more effective both here and around the world.